…Scotland continues to provide a home for the bulk of the country’s red squirrels, which still occurs as the sole species of squirrel over highland Scotland. Happily, the sightings also show that the native species still occupies a large area in the south of Scotland, although here they share the landscape with grey squirrels. The largest concentration of squirrel reports… […]
…surveys per year, per volunteer, which is no small undertaking! In 2022 the north east team carried out more than 7000 feeder checks, the majority of which were carried out by volunteers. These volunteer surveys are at the very core of our operations at this stage in the eradication project, and the north east team would not have made the… […]
…Central Lowlands, the effects could be devastating. This would pose a threat to Scotland’s core red squirrel populations in Argyll, Grampian and the Highlands should it breach the Highland Line into red territory that is currently free from grey squirrel competition. So what are we doing to monitor the situation? Right across the Central Lowlands, project staff and volunteers have… […]
…control activities in the area. This will pave the way for a long-term southward shift of the current “Highland Line Control Zone” – the 10km zone stretching from Balloch to Montrose and buffering the diagonal Highland Boundary Fault Line, where Scotland’s Highland red-only squirrel population intersects with the most northly reaches of grey squirrels incurring from the Lowlands. These new… […]
…of the invasive non-native grey squirrel which, along with carrying the squirrelpox virus, also outcompete red squirrels for food and habitat. Greys were first introduced to the UK from North America by the Victorians and have since displaced red squirrels in most of England and Wales, with more than 75% of the UK’s total remaining population residing in Scotland today…. […]
…native range. To achieve this, the Strategy will review the conservation status of red squirrel and update their current range for Scotland, analyse the threats to red squirrels and the potential impact of these threats on the delivery of the Strategy, as well as setting out key medium-term and long-term goals and updating best practice recommendations on important red squirrel… […]
…woodland habitat. Grey squirrel contraception is the subject of research, as is the development of a squirrelpox vaccine. However, these are a long way from being ready for use and may be insufficient on their own. There are suggestions that in the future Scotland’s recovering pine martens could also play a role in controlling grey squirrel numbers in some areas…. […]
…populations of the Highlands, Argyll, North-East Scotland, northern Tayside and Stirling. The programme will also deliver the required support and co-ordination to voluntary groups and individuals actively delivering vital long-term protection of red squirrels in key areas across the country. In this project phase we’ll also continue to carry out vital conservation work in key areas: In the North East,… […]
…attach radio collars. Trapping was carried out in the National Trust-owned woodlands immediately adjacent to the town and in the residential gardens of local volunteers. The radio-collared individuals were then regularly tracked throughout the summer and their locations recorded, to investigate how red squirrels move around the town and make use of the available resources. Alongside the live-capture trapping and… […]
…Mearns, and extending this into North-east Angus, with the support of the North-east Team in Aberdeen, whilst also liaising closely with the team in Tayside. The Mearns & East Angus section of the highland line is a crucial location in both the defence of the Highland Line and ensuring that the risk of immigration into Aberdeen city’s island population of… […]